Which Kenyan Runners Will Win Olympic Gold?

Mary Keitany is one of Kenya's best hopes for an Olympic gold next year. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Mary Keitany is one of Kenya's best hopes for an Olympic gold next year. Photo: PhotoRun.net

There are so many world-class athletes to choose from.

For the past year, Guardian correspondent Adharanand Finn has been living and training with Kenyans in Iten and Eldoret. He recently predicted the top four Kenyans who have the best chance at a gold medal next year at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Four years ago in Beijing, Kenya enjoyed its best Olympics ever. It won 14 medals there (all middle and long-distance track events). Finn notes the safest bet for a gold is with 800m specialist David Rushida.

He considers London Marathon champion Mary Keitany a good choice as well. “I visited her recently and asked her whether she thought she could win gold in London,” he writes. “She looked at me hesitantly. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. In Kenya, with so many other amazing athletes around, nobody is guaranteed a place on the national team, so talk of winning medals a year in advance can seem a bit presumptuous, even for world record holders.”

Duncan Larkin

Duncan Larkin is a freelance journalist and author who’s been covering the sport of running for over a decade. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. He wrote the book RUN SIMPLE, and coaches runners of all abilities.
You can learn more about him here: http://roadsmillslaps.tumblr.com/about